The Monsters We Fight
by Growlmon1
Summary: Team RWBY has finally settled down at Beacon Academy. They're ready to spend their days learning about the monsters of the world and how to fight them. Now their leader is about to encounter a monster worse than anything they've read about in history books. But this isn't a monster that can be fought off with weapons, and it's one Ruby may have to fight alone.
1. When It Crumples

_So, this is my very first RWBY fanfic, so I'm a bit nervous with how it'll turn out. A few things I'm going to mention is this mainly takes place between Volume 1 and 2. In Volume 1 we see the characters become teams and while there are a few squabbles here and there, they disappeared when Volume 2 started. So I'm mainly going to focus on the development between the two volumes, as well as the clashing of different personalities besides just Ruby and Weiss. Of course, this isn't meant to be an interpretation of what I think transpired between the two volumes, but it's more so explaining why some characters may seem a bit different or out of character. No one gets along right away, especially when forced to be on a team together, so that'll be one of the main focuses in this story, but the over all plot is explained in the summary and that will be the main focus of course._

 _I'm sorry for the shortness of the introduction, as it is just that. I also didn't want to keep jumping around, and I felt it right to leave off where I did. But the rest of the chapters will be longer._

 _Thank you and enjoy!_

* * *

 _When It Crumples_

"Wake up, you dunce!" The famous, unforgettable shriek of Weiss Schnee rang in her ears. A pair of silver eyes flew open as Ruby Rose jumped out of bed. "You're going to be late!"

Ruby looked over to see her three team mates already dressed and waiting. She looked down at her bed, which was cluttered with notes and a couple text books from the previous night. "W-Weiss! I'm sorry! I was studying last night 'cuz I know we have that test today and I must've lost track of time and-"

"Be quiet!" Weiss yelled, knowing if she didn't the girl would ramble on forever. "It's good you're studying so seriously but it won't mean anything if you sleep through class and miss the test anyway. It's 8:45 if you hurry you might-" With the whooshing sound of the wind Weiss found herself covered in red rose petals.

Yang couldn't help but giggle at the heiress. "At least it's her petals and not the thorns."

Blake rolled her eyes. "We should get going. It won't be good if all of us are late, and I'm sure Ruby's semblance will help her get there on time." She walked over and knocked on the bathroom door.

* * *

"Ruby," Blake's voice called out from the other side. "We're heading off to class now. See you there, alright?"

"Yeah!" Ruby called back with a smile on her face. A smile which quickly faded when she heard Weiss' farewell.

"You'd better not be late!"

Ruby sighed as she heard her team mates leave. She leaned against the shower wall in defeat. Her efforts the previous night had been for nothing. Try as she might to get the heiress to give her a break, she always fell short.

She stepped out of the shower and saw it was 8:50. By the time she was dressed it was 8:53. Activating her semblance, the young girl took off, ignoring the rose petals she left behind. She knew Ms. Goodwitch would scold her later, but she'd rather that than another scolding from her team. _I'm going to be the best leader this school has seen, just you watch._

* * *

Ruby made it to class with seconds to spare. Pleased with herself, she seated herself besides her team, throwing them a thumbs up at her accomplishment.

"Fine, you made it. Just don't make it a habit." Ruby waved her off.

"AHEM!" The students perked up and Professor Port's entrance. "Good Morning! I love seeing all your faces shining with enthusiasm at the beginning of everyday. Why, it reminds me so much of myself! My father used to always say, "Peter-""

The classroom groaned as the teacher began one of his stories.

Yang planted her head on her desk. "Please just give us the test already."

Ruby knew how Professor Port got wrapped up in his stories, and pulled out some drawing paper while he went on. _Let's see... what to draw...?_ She drew Yang all the time, so this time she wanted a new subject. She'd draw Weiss, but she didn't have enough of a mental image of the girl without a scowl on her face, so she avoided that for the time being. She thought about Blake, and realized she didn't know much about her final team mate to be able to draw her in a setting. Sure she could draw her in a battle stance but she liked her subjects to look more relaxed. _The only thing I really know about Blake at this point is her being a faunus... Ooooh! I'll draw her as a kitty, of course!_ Ruby's pencil took off as the picture in her mind became clear. "Blake is gonna love this." She whispered, practically bouncing in her seat with excitement.

Weiss rolled her eyes at her partner. While she couldn't be mad because there was no point in listening to Port's stories, and she did pay attention the rest of the time, something just irked her about Ruby's carefree attitude. _I promised to be nicer... I just don't know why it's so difficult._

* * *

Yang sighed as she sprawled out on the lunch table. "You know it says something when taking the test was _my_ favorite part of class today."

"At least he remembered that we had a test today and didn't skip it because he kept talking." Blake pointed out with a shudder. "Not like last time."

"Come on guys, Professor Port's just..." Ruby racked her brain for a term that wouldn't sound like an insult to their teacher. "...very enthusiastic about his job, just like he said... for 45 minutes..."

Weiss shrugged. "I guess if you really, really... _really_ looked at it, we do learn about different kinds of grimm through his stories."

Yang glared at the heiress and slammed a book down on the table. _The Book of Grimm: All Kinds and Every Way To Kill It._

Weiss chuckled before lowering her head with a loud groan.

Ruby smiled. "Well, at least we don't have anymore of his classes this week. That's something to be happy about." She had nothing against the professor, none of them did, but it just got _so_ boring when he starts talking, even more so when he started to repeat himself without realizing it. "Anyway, Blake. I have something to show you~!" Ruby said in a little sing-song voice. The faunus looked up, genuinely curious as to what her leader had for her. "Tah-dahhh!" Ruby showed off her drawing like it was first prize, a big grin stretched across her face.

It was a picture of Blake, curled up like a cat on the ground. While she only had cat ears in real life, Ruby had exaggerated her features and included a tail, which curled around her while she slept, and long, thin whiskers.

Yang smiled and her sister's work. She was proud of the talent her sister had, and was just about to comment on it until Blake beat her to it.

But it wasn't a reaction they'd been expecting.

Blake tore the picture from Ruby's grasp and crumpled it into a ball. "What are you _doing?!_ " she demanded. "Are you trying to out me or something? Is this some kind of joke? What if someone else saw that?" She'd put too much effort into staying hidden, and she had such a close call last week at the docks; she wasn't about to let it all be for nothing.

"W-Wha..?" Ruby stuttered, her heart had shattered when Blake destroyed the drawing, and now the faunus girl was angry with her. "I-I wasn't.. I thought..."

"If someone had seen that they would've instantly figured it out with my bow!" Blake hissed, glaring at the girl. "Seriously, how could you have been so _stupid?!"_

 _"Hey!"_ Yang yelled, standing up and glaring down at her partner with red eyes. "Don't talk to my sister that way!" By now the team had gained the attention of everyone in the cafeteria. Yang lowered her voice. "It's just a damn drawing Blake. Something she put her heart and soul in _for you!_ And you ruined it!"

"My personal safety means a whole lot more than this piece of paper!" Blake emphasized her point by tearing the paper to pieces.

Ruby had had it. She disappeared in a whirlwind of rose petals that led out the swinging doors of the cafeteria.

"Ruby!" Yang called out, but it was too late. She knew her sister was far gone by now. She turned and threw a harsh glare at Blake before storming off. Blake met her glare before turning in the opposite direction and stomping off as well. Weiss sat alone with all eyes on her. Her Schnee heritage kicked in and she kept her head held high. She got up, making sure to keep proper posture, disposed of her trash and made her own exit.


	2. There Will Be Wrinkles

_There Will Be Wrinkles_

It was moments like this one where Ruby really missed Patch. The island had plenty of space for her to run forever, and many crooks and crannies where she could hide when she wanted to be alone. Most importantly, she could go talk to her mom during those times.

She didn't have that at Beacon. The school didn't have anywhere for her to hide except for her dorm, but she couldn't hide there for obvious reason. She'd tried to run to the school's rooftop, but the area was currently occupied by Jaune and Pyrrha for their usual training sessions. Upon seeing the distraught girl, they immediately tried to comfort her but she muttered a quick "sorry" and was off again.

Ruby could only think of one place to go.

The young girl currently sat on the cliff where she and her fellow students gathered for initiation a month ago. She stared out upon the Emerald Forest as the events from only a few minutes ago played through her mind.

 _Blake..._ Remembering the piercing glare of her friend's golden eyes brought tears to her eyes. _I didn't think my drawing would be so bad...Did I really risk letting her secret out? What kind of leader am I? And now Blake probably hates me..._ Ruby sniffled, wiping her eyes. _And now I know Yang's fighting with her in my stead... I don't want everyone fighting with each other... All because I was so stupid, why didn't I just pay attention in class?_ It was bad enough Weiss always hounded her, she knew her sister would just fawn all over her...she always thought Blake would be someone she could get along with. The girl was always so calm and kept together, she'd never seen her angry until she fought with Weiss. Now Ruby found herself on the receiving end of the faunus' anger.

Ruby thought back to her own reaction; reprimanding herself for responding in such a childish manner. Ozpin's words from the first day of class rang through her head. _I'm supposed to be a leader. I'm supposed to set an example and inspire my team mates. And what do I do when faced with a problem? Run away crying like a baby!_ Her face turned red when she realized that moment was made a spectacle by all the people in the cafeteria. _All those people were there. Everyone's gonna know what a terrible, pathetic leader team RWBY has...I've made my team a laughing stock!_

Despite telling herself to toughen up, she knew she wouldn't be able to face Blake anytime soon. She decided she'd wait until her team went to sleep to return to the dorm. Until then she'd stay at the cliffs with her thoughts.

* * *

"Ugh! I cannot believe her!" Weiss turned away from her homework to observe the hot-tempered blonde stomp around their dorm room. The heiress had decided to remain neutral about the situation. She'd learned from her own argument with Blake, and refused to pick one team mate over the other. That also meant keeping silent as Yang ranted, since she knew that's all the blonde wanted to do. Rant. Burn herself out.

The blonde let out a loud growl. "Where does she get off thinking she can treat Ruby, her leader, that way? And over such a bullshit thing, too!" Yang threw up her hands. "A drawing? _A drawing?! Of a cat!_ You'd think she'd appreciate it since half of the world wants to interpret the faunus as murderous monsters. Ruby embraces that and Blake wants to treat her like shit? Ooohoho no." Weiss had now learned a fact about Yang; the angrier she was the more she cursed.

Yang stopped and turned toward Weiss. "Do you think I'm being unfair?"

Weiss sighed, crossing her arms. "I'm not going to choose sides here, since this is a matter between Ruby and Blake."

"I'm not asking you to get in the middle. But do you think I'm in the wrong for getting mad at Blake?"

Weiss took a moment to think. She herself had a sister, albeit older. She pictured herself in the situation with her own sister. "Are you wrong for getting mad at someone lashing out at your sister? No. I think that's understandable." She had to admit she'd snap at anyone who acted rude toward her sister, too. "But as I said this is a matter for Ruby and Blake to sort out." In her own opinion she didn't think the drawing was a big deal. "I'm sure Blake had her reasons for getting angry."

Yang crossed her arms, taking a deep breath. Her eyes slowly turning back to their purple hue. "I just can't stand seeing anybody pick on Ruby. Friend or not."

"I understand, but have a little faith in our leader." Weiss gave a small smile that Yang couldn't help but return.

"You know, you're alright, for an Ice Queen." Yang laughed as she dodged a thick text book that was thrown her way.

* * *

If there was one thing Blake prided herself on, it was her ability to keep her emotions balanced. She always thought of herself as the voice of reason, always willing to see both sides of the story.

It was because of this image of herself that she felt such shame. The heartbroken look on Ruby's face before she disappeared wouldn't get out of her head.

Fear was such an irrational emotion. It's what's fueled Blake through most of her life, so she knew it quite well. While she always tried to maintain control of the situation, fear had a way of ripping away any control Blake thought she had. Fear had caused her to act within the White Fang. Fear had caused her to run away and join Beacon. Fear had caused her to run away from her team mates. Fear had made her lash out at Ruby. It made her rip apart the drawing because somehow it might expose her.

 _I'm such a fool._

Blake was currently at the library, her favorite spot on campus. She loved the silence it gave her and endless book supply she had access to. And while she did have a book in front of her, she didn't bother to read it.

"Hello, Blake!" The loud, cheery voice broke her away from her thoughts. She glanced up and saw Pyrrha waving at her with an awkward smile. She'd always found it amusing that the most popular girl at the school had even worse social skills than herself.

Beside her was Jaune, who waved his hand in front of her face. "Uh, Blake? Is everything okay?"

She blinked. "I-I'm sorry. What?"

"I asked if everything was okay."

She wasn't very close to any of the members of Team JNPR, so she didn't feel the need to open up to them. "Everything's fine. Why do you ask?"

Jaune scratched the back of his neck. "Well we kinda ran into Ruby earlier and she seemed pretty upset." At the mention of her leader's name, Blake resisted the urge to let her ears droop. "I think she was crying even." The urge became greater. "We asked her what was wrong but she just ran off. We happened to see you here so I just thought maybe I'd ask if you knew anything about that."

Blake sighed. "Everything's fine. Ruby and I just had a...disagreement."

"Must've been pretty bad if she ran off crying." Jaune let out a high-pitched yelp after Pyrrha elbowed him in the ribs. He glared at her but she just smiled back.

Pyrrha turned to Blake. "I hope everything works out between you two. I know everyone is still getting used to their team mates." Blake nodded, silently wishing the two would leave so she could resume her inner turmoil. Pyrrha seemed to pick up on that. "Well, it was nice seeing you. Take care, okay?" With another awkward wave, she dragged Jaune off by his hood, almost choking the boy.

Blake laid her head in her hands. Hearing that Ruby had been crying made her feel even more guilty than she'd been only moments ago. _Maybe I did over react. It was just a picture and it's not like she was showing it to other people. She'd made it for me..._ Blake stood up. _I have to go apologize._

The faunus made her way back to her dorm, hoping the rest of her team mates had retreated there.

She opened the door to her dorm and stiffened upon seeing Yang standing in the middle of the room. She knew of her team mate's temper and protectiveness of her sister, and Blake knew she was no exception when it came to Ruby. She stepped forward, allowing the door to close, and figured she'd at least get her side out before Yang started yelling. "Yang," she started, loudly, before lowering her voice. "I know I was wrong. It was a harmless drawing and my fear got the best of me. I realize my mistake and I'm so sorry I yelled at Ruby like that."

Yang put her hands on her hips. She shook her head. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

Blake nodded. "I know. I was hoping Ruby would be here so I could tell her that. Do you know where she is?"

Another shake of the head. "Haven't seen her since she left the cafeteria. And trust me, when Ruby doesn't wanna be found, she won't be." Blake nodded, and walked over to her bed before climbing into it. "Blake?" She looked down at the blonde. "Are you really that scared of people finding out you're a faunus?"

Blake looked down. A full minute of silence passed before she spoke. "I'm terrified, Yang. You don't know what it's like."

"I don't. But I know it must be scary and I can understand that. I know you must've been scared but you must also know that Ruby isn't one to go spilling secrets."

"I know. I'm so sorry. I-"

"Hey," Yang waved her hand. "It's okay. Just make it up to Ruby, okay?" Blake nodded. She rolled over so she was facing away from Yang, wanting to sulk alone. She heard Yang shuffle over and hit the lights before climbing into bed herself.

She heard slight movement from Weiss' bed before hearing a sleepy voice. "Not to tarnish the glorious making up you two were doing, but please be a bit quieter in the future."

Yang giggled. "Sorry." The room then went quiet.

Blake decided to wait up until Ruby returned. She hoped that Ruby wouldn't go so far as to sleep outside or in the hallway to avoid her, and she was certain Ruby would be gone when she woke up in the morning. She pulled the book out from under her pillow and opened it up, making herself comfortable for the wait ahead. If there was one thing she truly enjoyed about being a faunus, it was her ability to be able to read at night.

Unfortunately Blake ended up absorbed in the book, and it wasn't until she heard the door creak open that she snapped it shut and froze. _Ruby's back already?! I don't even know how to approach her._ Blake laid still as she heard her leader ruffle through the dresser. She racked her brain for something to say, or even to make herself turn around and let Ruby know she was awake. But for some reason, she couldn't do it. She listened as Ruby changed and climbed into bed. Soon the room fell into complete silence once again.

* * *

 _"This will be the day we've waited for! This will be the day we open up the door!"_

Ruby groaned as she opened her eyes. The music from her alarm making her splitting headache even worse. She slapped her hand down on her scroll to dismiss the alarm. She sat up and stretched her arms above her head, looking down at her team mates. She silently cheered as they were all still asleep. _That means I'm the first one up today. Day One success!_ She made sure to quietly leap off her bed as to not make any noise. However, right before she pushed herself off the bed, she heard the sound of her own name.

The sudden noise made her jump and she fell straight down off her bed, and onto Weiss'.

"Ow!" The heiress cried out as a massive weight fell upon her. " _What_ in the _world?!"_ She opened her eyes and saw her attacker. "Ruby!"

Ruby jumped back and landed on her rear on the floor. "Weiss! I'm so sorry! It was an accident!"

"You imbecile!" Ruby flinched but Weiss didn't seem to notice. "How could you just fall on me?"

"I-I- uh, Well- I-"

Weiss scoffed, rolling her eyes at the stammering girl. She rubbed at her eyes, figuring she might as well wake up completely and start the day. She looked back at the stuttering mess of a girl on the floor, and recalled the events of the previous day. She sighed. "Ruby."

"Um, uh, Y-yes?" Ruby managed to choke out, expecting Weiss to launch into another lecture.

Weiss rubbed her eyes again. "You're not an imbecile. I was just cranky from being woken up in such a...manner. But it's fine, okay?"

Ruby's shoulders relaxed as she let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't expected to be let off the hook; she never was. "I'm really sorry. It won't happen again."

"Yes, well..." Weiss wasn't sure what to say. She was trying to be friendly to her team and had to bite back the typically "Schnee" response. "I'm going to get ready." She grabbed her uniform and headed toward the bathroom.

Ruby smiled, she knew Weiss was really trying and appreciated it. She picked herself off the floor and finally looked up, only to jumped slightly when she saw Blake staring down at her.

"Sorry," Blake mumbled, jumping off her own bed. "Didn't mean to startle you."

Ruby backed up a couple feet when Blake came down. "B-Blake, uh, um.. I-I'm gonna go-"

"Ruby," Blake started loudly, to interrupt the girl. She lowered her voice when she noticed the girl shrink back. "Ruby, I wanted to say I'm sorry about yesterday. I was scared and it made me act like an idiot. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean anything I said yesterday." Once she started she couldn't stop, she wanted to make sure Ruby understood where she was coming from. "I've spent so long hiding who I am that any chance of revealing myself makes me irrational, and yesterday I realized how bad it's gotten. I can't tell you enough how sorry I am. I didn't mean to hurt you, especially over something so trivial."

"Blake." Ruby held a hand up, stopping the faunus from launching her own rant. "It's okay. I...I should've been more considerate. I'm sorry."

Blake shook her head. "No, Ruby, you shouldn't have-"

"It's fine." Ruby said quickly. "I just hope you can forgive me and we can be friends again."

Blake looked at her, bewildered. "We never stopped being friends in the first place, Ruby." _Why did she assume that?_

The younger girl looked at her hesitantly. "So you're not mad at me anymore?"

The other girl smiled. "Of course not." Ruby shyly smiled back at her.

"Awww! Look at the two of you! Making up and being buddies!" Yang popped up in the middle of them, throwing an arm around each girl and bringing them in for a group hug. "Don't you feel all this love in the air?"

"Please, stooop~" Ruby groaned, being choked by her sister's biceps. Blake simply felt extremely uncomfortable.

Weiss came out of the bathroom and saw the group hug. "I'm glad I left before being forced to partake in whatever ritual you guys are doing."

Yang smirked. "Sounds like the ice Queen needs a Yang Hug to warm her heart." She reached out towards Weiss, who shrinked back.

"Oh no you don't. Stay away from me, Xiao Long!"

Ruby couldn't help but smile big as the tension between everyone finally dissipated. "I say this calls for a Make Up Team Breakfast!"

Yang shrugged. "Whatever the leader says, we gotta do. Right, Weiss?" She winked at the other girl, who rolled her eyes.

"Well in all technicalities, yes, but-"

"Then it's settled!" Yang announced before slipping into the bathroom herself.

* * *

Ruby hummed happily to herself. She was in a great mood now that things were mended between her and Blake, and now she was having breakfast with her team and everything was going good. _Maybe I can fit in at Beacon despite being younger._ Ruby sped toward the table that had the cookies on it. The rest of her team was already seated and she wanted to hurry to join them.

However, as Ruby jogged toward the table, her cape snagged and yanked her backwards. "Huack!" She fell and landed on her back, the contents of her tray spilling all over her. _You're kidding me?_ She sat up and looked at the food splattered all over her. She heard light snickering and looked behind her, and it was only then that was realized what caused her cape to snag.

A group of girls sat at the nearby table, laughing at Ruby. One of the girls took her foot off Ruby's cape.

"What'd you do that for?" Ruby demanded, her face heating up in embarrassment as they continued to laugh at her.

"Uh oh, Violet, I think you made her cry. Watch out or she'll get her big sister on you." The remark caused the girls to laugh even more.

Ruby turned bright red as she realized they were mocking her about yesterday. She yanked her hood over her head and walked back to her team; her appetite gone.

Yang's eyes widened when she saw her sister. "Yikes, Ruby, what happened?"

Ruby sat beside her sister. "I tripped, and... yeah." She gestured to herself.

The blonde stood up, pulling her sister up with her. "Come on, I'll help you get cleaned up."

"No!" Ruby said a bit too quickly. Yang raised an eyebrow at her. "I-I can handle it. I'll, uh, catch up with you guys later." Ruby turned on her heel and forced herself to walk at an average pace, and not run out of the cafeteria like she desperately wanted to.

As she walked back to her dorm, she found herself retracting her earlier thought about the school.


End file.
